This invention relates in general to the manufacture of clamping members for clamping electric cables in overhead transmission lines, and in particular to an apparatus for mechanically clamping a cable conductor in a clamp without completely disassembling the clamp.
Traditional clamp means for clamping metallic wound cable in an overhead transmission system have comprised upper and lower clamp sections, commonly called a keeper and a body, with each section having a groove therein for receiving the metallic conductor. A means for securing the upper half section to the lower half section of the clamp, such as pairs of U-bolts, is then employed to compress the cable within the grooved sections of the upper and lower half portions of the clamp. The U-bolts are received into openings in the upper and lower clamp sections and torqued together with a pair of nuts threaded onto the U-bolts. In the past, this method of clamping has required that the entire clamp assembly be disassembled to install the conductor in the grooves. Where an overhead transmission system is being installed this complete disassembly of all of the clamps consumes a substantial amount of time and effort. Also, the various components of the clamp, such as U-bolts and nuts, can be lost thereby further obstructing and delaying the construction of the transmission system. An example of a previous electric cable clamping method is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,215,201, to Sandford. This device shows a clamp for a conductor which when tightened over the conductor will create stresses therein that will compress the conductor. As is typical in cable clamps of the prior art design, the Sandford clamp has four bolts and nuts used to clamp the upper section over the lower section. These must be dismantled entirely to install or service the conductor.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a clamp device having upper and lower clamp sections secured together by U-bolts, where said U-bolt receiving structure in the clamp sections have means to allow the U-bolts to free the upper section of the clamp for assembly of a conductor therein without entirely removing the U-bolt from the clamp.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will in part become apparent as the following description proceeds. The features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims next to and forming a part of this specification.